Brown at Rossi event: Country ready to ‘throw the bums out’

The Republican who shocked many in the political world when he won Ted Kennedy’s Massachusetts Senate seat earlier this year was in Bellevue Tuesday headlining a fundraiser for Dino Rossi, who’s looking to make a statement of his own in November.

Scott Brown spoke at a sold out event attended by 400 at the Westin Hotel. Rossi is running against Sen. Patty Murray, a Democrat seeking her fourth term. Murray has raised about almost $12 million so far and Rossi, who has taken in about $2 million, is looking to close that gap heading into the fall. His campaign didn’t immediately say how much money the Brown event raised.

Speaking to reporters before the fundraiser, Brown said he knows what it’s like to be the “new guy” in Washington.

“We need other people who are going to look out for people’s wallets and pocketbooks and focus on the debt and spending,” he said. “I met Dino and I asked if I could help him, he didn’t ask me. I think that’s important to note…it would be nice to have him there, right beside me.”

Brown won a January special election to take the Senate seat that had been held by the late Kennedy for more than 46 years. Brown became a conservative superstar overnight, however the Bay State politician has not always held to the party line. The pro-choice Brown provided a crucial Republican vote to Democrats earlier this year during the push to pass financial reforms; Rossi has said he’ll work to repeal those if elected.

Asked about that vote, Brown said he and Rossi “were not going to agree on everything. I certainly hope not. He’s from a different part of the country, different needs…I am from Massachusetts. We’re the number two financial services industry in the country.”

Brown said the bill approved earlier this year was not perfect, citing the fact that it didn’t address government-sponsored mortgage buyers Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; so far stabilizing the pair has cost taxpayers $145 billion.

“But does that mean we do nothing?,” Brown asked, adding he worked to improve the bill. “I felt the rules and regulations needed to be upgraded. Some of them hadn’t been changed in 50 years.”

There’s real anger across the country, Brown said. “Outside Washington (D.C.), they say, ‘he stinks, she stinks. Throw the bums out.’ Because there’s absolutely no paying attention to the details of average Americans.”

If the GOP regains control of the Senate, Brown says his party will focus on the economy, spending and terrorism. He said Rossi would be a “nice addition. Someone who’s independent, open minded and willing to work across party lines to get the country moving again.”

Murray campaign spokeswoman Julie Edwards said Tuesday night that “Senator Brown must have forgotten Dino Rossi was in the room when he made the comment that Wall Street reform wasn’t perfect, but we needed to do something. Of course doing nothing is exactly what Rossi advocates with his radical idea of repealing reform. Unlike Rossi, Senator Murray doesn’t aspire to be a lockstep vote for a political party and she’s not campaigning to be the ’51st’ anything. She is the voice for Washington state.”